As writers, even as fans, we all have player biases. We like some more than others, and for whatever reason, we can't always tell why. Admittedly, they are often completely unrelated to their abilities as a player, or their season stats. We like a player because he donated to a certain charity, or because he gave a killer interview...
Like most heterosexual female Cardinal fans, I, for a long time, loved Skip Shumaker. He's got a sparkling eyes, and a jaw line that could slice cheese. Sure, go ahead, judge. But find another 20-something female baseball fan who disagrees with me.
My torrid love for Skippy died last season. His under-300 batting average and his tendency to err in the infield left me feeling more disappointed than that guy that never calls and leaves before breakfast.
When we traded Brendan Ryan our far better infield player for a RHP, I just kept thinking "Why Ryan? Why haven't we released Skippy?!" Why do we continue to weaken our infield when its been riddled with injuries and problems?
Entering this season, unsure with Pujols and his possible "contract distraction", curious about Theriot, and now, FURIOUS about Skippy and his three straight season under-performance, I find I am pleasantly surprised. He's consistently reached base and has zero errors. More importantly, however is his RBIs. He's tied for second on the team with 3, only behind the four-way tie for first, at 4 RBIs each.
Maybe, Skippers is finally out of his slump. Maybe there's something I hadn't seen before.
No comments:
Post a Comment